Reviews of the Best Crochet Pattern Books and Stitch Dictionaries

Best Crochet Books for Beginners

Are you interested in learning how to crochet? Or perhaps you recently got started with crochet, and you’re looking to learn some new crochet stitches. Perhaps you want to get started with an easy project that’s suitable for beginners. Maybe you learned how to crochet some time ago, but you haven’t kept up with it, and now you can’t remember everything you once learned. Or maybe you’re gift shopping for someone who wants to learn how to crochet. Either way, we hope you’ll find this list helpful. These are our picks for the best crochet books for beginners.

…then this is the book for you. It’s the ideal book for beginners; it includes lovely patterns plus instructions that are aimed at teaching you the basics you’ll need to know for succeeding with your crochet.

…then Crochet Stitch Dictionary is a book you’ll want to add to your library.

It’s important for you to be aware that Crochet Stitch Dictionary is not a pattern book. The book focuses primarily on teaching you different crochet stitches. There’s also quite a bit of information focused on teaching you various crochet techniques. You can use these stitches and techniques to create projects; it’s really easy to do. But if you want complete ready-made instructions for various crochet projects, this book is not what you’re looking for. Or you might want to consider buying this book in addition to some pattern books.

If you’re brand new to crochet, this book is a great starting point for learning the craft. The book begins precisely in the beginning, and it works you logically through each stitch and technique you’ll need for success with crochet. Then you also get access to a complete library of 200 crochet stitches, starting with the basic stitches and progressing systematically towards more sophisticated and complex stitch patterns.

This book is one you’re likely to hang onto once you’ve progressed past beginner status. As far as crochet books go, it’s a great investment.

By Melissa Leapman; Published by Quarto Publishing Group / Creative Publishing International

Why a beginner to crochet might want to own this book:

This is a crochet stitch dictionary that a beginning crocheter could use to transform herself or himself into an expert given time, practice and effort. The basic reference information in this book is thorough, clear, helpful and concise. The basic crochet stitches are all covered in this book.

This book is a beginner’s fast-track to understanding which crochet stitches are the most useful and most wearable. Professional knitting and crochet pattern designer Melissa Leapman has put her seal of approval on every single crochet stitch pattern you’ll find in this book. Having this book gives you the inside scoop on a multitude of outstanding crochet stitches — without you having to spend 30 years swatching and manipulating and designing with different crochet stitches the way Melissa has.

International symbol crochet stitch diagrams guide you intuitively through the process of crocheting each stitch pattern found in this book. You also get large color photographs of each stitch plus written text instructions.

You’ll have a chance to learn how to crochet a wide variety of new stitch patterns, some of which are Melissa Leapman’s original designs. There are textured stitches, crochet shell stitch patterns, lacy stitches, colorwork stitches, edgings and more.

Crochetterie: Cool Contemporary Crochet Patterns for the Creatively Minded, Published by Quarto Books / Jacqui Small LLPCrochetterie is a unique crochet book that’s both guy-friendly and appropriate for beginners.

Crochet Snowflakes Step-By-Step

Crochet Snowflakes Step-By-Step, a Crochet Pattern and Instruction Book Featuring 40 Crochet Patterns for Different Snowflake Designs Plus Additional Craft Project Ideas for Using the Snowflakes.

Would you enjoy crocheting fancy snowflake motifs to use as appliques, Christmas decorations or for other purposes? If so, check out Crochet Snowflakes Step-By-Step: A Delightful Flurry of 40 Patterns by Caitlin Sainio, published by Quarto Books / St. Martin’s Griffin. This book is part beginner’s crochet instruction manual and part crochet snowflake pattern book. The book also includes instructions for stiffening your snowflakes so you can use them as Christmas tree ornaments; plus you get additional ideas for lovely projects you can make using the snowflake patterns in the book.

Best Crochet Pattern Books for Advanced Beginners

Once you’ve completed a beginner-level crochet project or two, you can safely advance to working projects labeled as being “Easy”. Actually, the truth is you can do any crochet project you put your mind to doing, regardless of the skill level rating. Crochet is not rocket science, and it’s all do-able if you allocate time and patience to it. But easy projects are a good way to build your crochet skills with a minimum of frustration.

The following crochet pattern books feature a majority of easy patterns that would be ideal projects for crocheters at this skill level.

Gooseberry Patch is best-known for country-style cookbooks and calendars, but they also curate interesting craft books. This fun book is an example of some of their best work. Farmhouse Crochet offers you 15 patterns for lovely blankets, pillows, kitchen projects, a rug and more.

Quick Comforts is a great book for beginners because the projects are so easy, and because they work up quickly. You’ll use thick, chunky yarns and great big crochet hooks to make these projects. This is ideal because thick yarns and hooks are easier to hold onto than fine threads and skinny hooks. For beginners, one of the most challenging things is getting used to holding onto the materials while you work with them. The process is greatly simplified when you work from patterns like these.

Best Crochet Technique Books for Advanced Beginners

This book is useful if your goal is to master the art and craft of crochet. Crochet offers you an abundance of interesting techniques to explore, and many of the most popular techniques are covered in this book. For each technique discussed, there’s a corresponding crochet project you can use for practicing and applying what you’ve learned.

This book includes one beginner-level pattern and two easy patterns. Once you’ve completed those, you’ll be in good shape to start working your way through the intermediate level projects in the book. When you have quality instructions like these to work from, it doesn’t take long to break out of beginner status.

Learn More About Crochet Master Class

Seamless Crochet: Learn How to Crochet Motifs Using the Join-As-You-Go Technique

I wish someone had handed me a copy of this book when I was learning how to crochet. If you can wrap your head around the information presented in the book, it’ll teach you how to do a technique called “join-as-you-go”. This technique allows you to join crochet motifs like squares and hexagons without having to end off your yarn and weave in the ends after you’ve finished crocheting each motif.

There are two schools of thought when it comes to this technique. Some crocheters say that it isn’t a beginner’s technique; that it takes an advanced crocheter to figure this out.

Then there are the people who insist that your skill level with crochet is irrelevant; with this technique, it’s the dexterity of your brain that counts, not the dexterity of your fingers. I’m in that camp myself, which is why this book has earned a spot on my list of best crochet books for beginners.

I hypothesize that total beginners are likely to do better with this technique than seasoned crocheters who have spent many years making their motifs in the traditional way. You know, when it comes to teaching new tricks, it can be easier to show the puppies than the old dogs…

As far as I’m concerned, the sooner you learn this technique, the better. You’ll save yourself hours upon hours of end-weaving once you’ve mastered it. Do yourself a favor and buy this book.

The Beaded Edge 2

The Beaded Edge 2
People don’t generally think of bead crochet as being a beginner’s technique. It’s earned a reputation as being challenging for a couple of good reasons.

For starters, beads can get pretty heavy, so people tend to use small beads with fine threads to minimize the weight of each project. Fine work can be challenging; it’s tough to hold on to it, and if your eyesight is less than perfect that aspect is challenging as well.

However, despite the challenges, there are bead crochet projects that are easy enough for beginners to succeed with — and a book called The Beaded Edge 2 offers you a chance to try your hands at several of them. There’s a section of the book intended specifically for beginners that includes a complete step-by-step tutorial for one of the easiest projects in the book, from start to finish.

This is an outstanding book that you really won’t want to miss out on. It’s more than worth it’s asking price.

Find Out More About The Beaded Edge 2:

So there you have it: Those are our picks for the best beginner-friendly crochet books. Please note that this is not a comprehensive list, since we’ve only posted books we’ve actually worked from and reviewed. We’re open to suggestions; if you know of a book that should be added to this list, please feel free to mention it to us. We hope this information will be helpful to you when you decide which books you’d like to add to your needlework library.

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